I used to walk past this sign and hope that it would be restored someday. All the rust and burnt out bulbs couldn’t detract from its aura of glamour and aspiration.
I took this picture back in the fall. If I recall correctly, the shop was already vacant at that point. Since then the sign has been removed and 500 Yonge is now behind scaffolding.
Perhaps Toronto needs a sign museum to commemorate influential businesses that disappear. Think of all the weddings and proms and parties that could be conjured up by the sight of this sign. Here’s to you, Syd Silver, for presiding over Yonge Street for decades and for all the moments you made more magical.
TORONTO TYPE 
March 14, 2011 at 10:45 pm
This photo brings some really good memories as we ordered all of our wedding tuxedos from that exact store in 2004. Young St. has a lot of memories that way. I was actually kind of sad when I drove by some months ago to find out it had closed. Thanks for keeping a visual record of it.
March 24, 2011 at 7:58 pm
Hi JT, thanks for sharing that! Signs can be such a powerful trigger of recollections. Anyone else have Syd Silver memories to share?
February 21, 2012 at 5:31 pm
My name is Brian Silver, grandson of Syd Silver. Out of curiosity I googled Syd Silver, and to such delight I came across your site. I have many memories as a little kid of running up and down the stairs at 500 Yonge Street when I would visit my dad at work, or sitting in my grandfathers office, hoping to be in charge one day. A vision that I haven’t lost faith in! I really wished that sign could’ve been preserved, because I loved it. It had character. It defined an era on Yonge Street. Thanks for keeping the memory alive.
February 22, 2012 at 2:25 pm
Hi Brian,
Wow, I’m thrilled that you discovered this site and posted a reply. Thank you for contributing that!
I cross that intersection often and I miss the sign. I’m sure many other Torontonians feel the same way, particularly those whose memories were triggered by it. The sign was a real landmark.
I think we all inhabit an invisible city as well as the tangible one, and it’s made up of the recollections we have that are connected to particular places. So if that’s the case, for many people Syd Silver is still at 500 Yonge Street.
Thanks again!
Corneil